For the record, I was a BO-liever for the vast majority of Pelini's tenure. But in hindsight, he was a bad fit for Nebraska.
First off, the head coach is 'The 'Face' of the University -- and in our unique case, 'The Face' of the State of Nebraska. Bo failed miseribly in that role. If you don't think that's a big part of 'recruiting' (football and student recruiting in general) and overall 'public relations', you're wrong. I'm no fan of Harvey Perlman but that's why Perlman hated Bo so much. He was a PR nightmare--the 'good ol' days' of grizzled coaches like Woody Hayes were long gone by the Oughts.
Secondly, Bo was too damn stubborn. Bo's defense -- and offense -- were built for the Big XII. We needed to rethink our schemes and our recruiting strategies once we moved from the Big XII to the B1G. What adjustments did Pelini make? I saw zero.
Lastly, Bo wanted OUT. He coached the last two years like he wanted the University to fire him. During his swan song years, he created an "us vs them" attitude on the team that was horribly detrimental to the program. And let's not forget his "Burn Down All the Bridges" exit. That was as unprofessional and classless as it gets, especially for someone leaving town with a seven-figure going away gift.
IMO, he shares partial responsibility for the messes that followed him.
